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Questions & Answers about Die Hausaufgabe ist schwierig.
Why is it Die Hausaufgabe (singular) when we usually just say "homework" in English?
In English, "homework" is an uncountable concept, but in German, it is countable. Die Hausaufgabe refers to one specific assignment. If you have multiple assignments for different classes, you would use the plural and say Die Hausaufgaben sind schwierig.
How do I know the gender of a combined word like Hausaufgabe?
In German, compound nouns always take the gender of their last word. Hausaufgabe is made of das Haus (the house) and die Aufgabe (the task/assignment). Because Aufgabe is feminine (die), the whole combined word is feminine!
Could I use the word schwer instead of schwierig here?
Yes, you can! When talking about a test or an assignment, both schwer and schwierig mean "hard" or "difficult." The main difference is that schwer can also mean "heavy" (like a physical box), while schwierig only ever means "difficult."
Why doesn't the adjective schwierig have an ending here, like schwierige?